Senior Finance Manager

Our client is a European-headquartered and family-owned food company with established and growing U.S. operations. We are looking for a senior Finance Manager / Head of Finance to lead the finance function for the U.S. business.

This role sits at the intersection of local business leadership and European Group governance, combining hands-on ownership of accounting, controlling, and compliance with strong business partnering and performance steering.

The Finance Manager reports operationally to the U.S. General Manager, acting as a trusted financial advisor to the local leadership team, while maintaining a functional reporting line to Group Finance in Europe, ensuring alignment with group policies, standards, and reporting frameworks.

This position plays a critical role in supporting a growing and evolving U.S. organization, including integration of acquisitions, strengthening financial discipline, and enabling sustainable growth within an international group context. It is a hands-on leadership role with real impact on business performance, governance, and future growth.

• Lead and develop the U.S. finance function, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely financial operations
• Act as a strategic finance business partner to the General Manager USA and local leadership team
• Serve as the financial bridge between U.S. operations and European Group Finance
• Translate Group finance frameworks into pragmatic, effective execution in the U.S. context
• Provide clear financial insights on performance, risks, and opportunities to both local and group stakeholders

• Hold final responsibility for month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close for U.S. entities
• Ensure compliance with U.S. statutory requirements, tax regulations, and Group accounting policies
• Maintain audit readiness and act as primary contact for internal and external auditors
• Oversee reconciliations, documentation, and internal control frameworks
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking processes
• Support business decision-making through forward-looking financial analysis and scenario modeling
• Monitor operating expenses and cost structures, identifying opportunities for optimization
• Develop and deliver meaningful KPIs and financial dashboards to support management steering

• Optimize cash flow and working capital performance
• Oversee credit control, AR/AP processes, and cash management initiatives
• Drive improvements in cash efficiency and financial discipline across the organization

• Support the implementation and adoption of best-practice finance systems and processes
• Play an active role in post-merger finance integration, including alignment of reporting, controls, processes, and governance across entities
• Ensure high data quality and process consistency across U.S. entities
• Support SAP-related initiatives and future system integrations

• Lead a small but growing U.S.
  
  -based finance team (currently ~3 FTE)
• Work closely with Group Accounting, Group Controlling, and Group FP&A teams in Europe
• Operate in a non-hierarchical, entrepreneurial, and respectful company culture

• Senior Finance Manager / Head of Finance / Controller background
• Strong foundation in accounting, controlling, and compliance
• Experience in manufacturing or industrial environments (food industry is a strong plus)
• Exposure to international group environments combined with an entrepreneurial, hands-on mindset
• Proven ability to operate independently at country level while aligning with group structures
• Strong business acumen and operational understanding
• Ability to act as a true finance business partner to senior leadership
• Comfortable balancing hands-on execution with strategic thinking
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP experience is a strong plus)
• Clear communicator, able to explain financial topics to non-finance stakeholders